Research Grants for Non-Students After Undergrad Before PhD???

[psychIsLife]

I was not accepted into any of the PhD programs that I applied to this past cycle and have now graduated from my undergrad.  I began a new line of research, including developing a novel laboratory measure, over the past year and am working on trying to continue to pursue developing this model and measure (we had some very promising results!).  My faculty mentor and I are planning to continue work on this over the next couple of years as I prepare to apply to programs again.  This is at a liberal arts school, however, and there isn't any existing funding in the labs or department.  My research over the last year was funded by an institutional grant that is only available to currently enrolled students and the line of research represents a substantial departure from any existing research programs at the school and my mentor's experience (I essentially created an entirely new research lab/program for my project).

In order to do this, we need to find funding.  Does anyone know of any grant opportunities for someone in my position (recent graduate, neither enrolled nor matriculating, trying to gain more experience and continue my research while re-applying to PhD programs)???  Pretty much everything that we are finding requires that one be currently enrolled in a program somewhere or at the post-doc level.

I will also be continuing to TA for undergrad psychology classes this summer and through the next couple of years, but there aren't any funding opportunities for this within the department or institution.  This is great experience and something that I really enjoy doing so I plan to do it even if unfunded, it would be great if I could find some way to fund myself doing this as I'm not really able to work at the same time and need to find some way to contribute to my household finances (especially since I'll have to begin repaying my student loans soon too).  Does anyone have any knowledge of any funding opportunities for this?

I'd appreciate any help/advice anyone can offer on where to look; funding opportunities for recent graduates that are neither currently enrolled as students, nor matriculating into a program seem to almost non-existent.

[Oshawott]

Why doesn't your faculty mentor apply for grants from relevant agencies?

[vallaboop]

22 hours ago, psychIsLife said:

I was not accepted into any of the PhD programs that I applied to this past cycle and have now graduated from my undergrad.  I began a new line of research, including developing a novel laboratory measure, over the past year and am working on trying to continue to pursue developing this model and measure (we had some very promising results!).  My faculty mentor and I are planning to continue work on this over the next couple of years as I prepare to apply to programs again.  This is at a liberal arts school, however, and there isn't any existing funding in the labs or department.  My research over the last year was funded by an institutional grant that is only available to currently enrolled students and the line of research represents a substantial departure from any existing research programs at the school and my mentor's experience (I essentially created an entirely new research lab/program for my project).

In order to do this, we need to find funding.  Does anyone know of any grant opportunities for someone in my position (recent graduate, neither enrolled nor matriculating, trying to gain more experience and continue my research while re-applying to PhD programs)???  Pretty much everything that we are finding requires that one be currently enrolled in a program somewhere or at the post-doc level.

I will also be continuing to TA for undergrad psychology classes this summer and through the next couple of years, but there aren't any funding opportunities for this within the department or institution.  This is great experience and something that I really enjoy doing so I plan to do it even if unfunded, it would be great if I could find some way to fund myself doing this as I'm not really able to work at the same time and need to find some way to contribute to my household finances (especially since I'll have to begin repaying my student loans soon too).  Does anyone have any knowledge of any funding opportunities for this?

I'd appreciate any help/advice anyone can offer on where to look; funding opportunities for recent graduates that are neither currently enrolled as students, nor matriculating into a program seem to almost non-existent.

Are you a member of Psi Chi or APA? If you are they have grants that you can apply to specifically for research. However, they are hard to get and I am unsure of the deadlines. I would look into that if your faculty member can't provide you with funding. 

[cowgirlsdontcry]

On ‎6‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 10:52 AM, psychIsLife said:

I'd appreciate any help/advice anyone can offer on where to look; funding opportunities for recent graduates that are neither currently enrolled as students, nor matriculating into a program seem to almost non-existent.

I took a grant writing class last year. There are state grants your professor/mentor can apply for, but it will need to come from him/her as a faculty member. There are also various private grants, but they are almost always very specific in what they will fund. Try the federal sites, like FDA, etc. You don't say what kind of grant you are looking for, but having looked at hundreds of grants last year, I know they are very specific. Try typing word strings like "grants for ..." and see what pops up. On most state school campuses there are employees who deal with grants exclusively and if you find a really good one, you may be able to get some help in writing it. Grants are complicated to write and need a special touch to get the funding. I took the class because I wanted to understand the intricacies of getting additional funding while working on my PhD. Professors are looking for funding, as well, because they want things for their departments. One of the professors at my MA school wrote and received a grant for the purchase of iPads and related electronic equipment for every faculty member in the English Department.